Homecoming makes Braun ticket king

SoCal native received many ASG ticket requests

When Southern California native Ryan Braun was named a starter in the All-Star Game, he knew he was about to be besieged for ticket requests.

"The requests have probably reached triple digits," he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "But it's probably going to be around 20, 25 tickets. I restricted it to the family and a couple of friends.

"Once you start inviting friends, you get yourself in trouble because you offend more people than you please. It's really difficult. It's hard to figure who to cut out."

McCann snags MVP honors with double: The National League had not won an All-Star Game since 1996 and Brian McCann had personally been on the last four losing teams, but he put an end to both of those streaks in 2010. McCann cleared the bases with a three-run double, that gave the National League a 3-1 win and helped him earn MVP honors.

"This whole night has been surreal," McCann told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "It's something you dream about as a little kid, a moment I'll never forget.

"We're in first place, and we're playing great as a team. This night can't get any better."

Ortiz turns to Pena en route to Derby title: David Ortiz turned to former Red Sox catcher and current Yankees bench coach Tony Pena to pitch to him in his Home Run Derby-winning effort.

"It was unbelievable," Ortiz told MLB.com. "Tony, he's got the great mechanics as a catcher. And I saw him before, and whenever we go to play the Yankees, I see him throwing batting practice. And as soon as I found out he was going to be here, I was like, 'Tony, can you pitch to me?' He was like, 'Fine. No problem. I'm going to throw to [Nick] Swisher, but I'm going to throw for you, [too].' We are here for the fans. It's not a Yankees-Boston situation. We are here for the fans, so let's do it."

Josh Johnson OK with getting starstruck: Josh Johnson played in his second All-Star Game, but he remains awed by the experience. Johnson came on in the third inning and pitched two scoreless frames.

"I still am, seeing these guys. I'm huge fans of a lot of these guys," Johnson told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "It's awesome to get to spend time with them and talk to them. They're all business.

"Last year, I was in St. Louis and I was in the elevator with [Derek Jeter]. I was like, 'I'm not going to say anything to him. He's Derek Jeter.' My wife tells me, 'That's Derek Jeter,' and I tell her, 'I know.'"

Bautista makes trek a family affair: Jose Bautista was happy to bring his 25-year-old brother, Luis, and the rest of his family to Anaheim for the All-Star Game.

"My whole family was really excited, my brother in particular," Bautista told the Toronto Star. "That's not to say I wasn't. I was very excited when [manager] Cito [Gaston] called me in the office and let me know. Definitely just walking around, eating breakfast with them. You see all the big-time stars that are here on a yearly basis. I'm honored to be part of it and honored to be here with them."

Carpenter glad to catch up with Halladay: Being on the same team as Roy Halladay was just one of the many perks for Chris Carpenter in the All-Star Game. Carpenter and Halladay were both members of Toronto until 2002.

"He's a fabulous guy," Carpenter told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I really enjoy watching him work. We learned from some really good professional guys who were on those clubs -- the pressures and expectations of what we were supposed to do. Unfortunately, for me, it didn't work out [in Toronto], but he turned into one of the best pitchers in Toronto's history. It's really neat to see from where we started to where we've gone."

Byrd making strong impression on Colvin: Marlon Byrd brings more than just All-Star credentials to Chicago.

"Marlon is a smart player, he's a good teacher," rookie Tyler Colvin told MLB.com. "It's like the little things -- he's always working. You see him get real mad if he doesn't take a good swing, even if the outcome is good. He's always wanting to go up there and hit the ball hard and have a good approach and have everything perfect."

Bourn not worried about the spotlight: As a first-time All-Star, Michael Bourn was a rookie once again during media day on Monday in Anaheim.

"You don't know what to expect, you just keep looking around to see what everyone else is doing," told MLB.com. "Everyone else has been here like seven or eight times, so you feel like the rookie. Look at how much [the] media is around Albert [Pujols] and [Tim] Lincecum."

Bourn was content with his status, however.

"You're kind of low on the totem pole at this level, and that's fine. You've got to pay your dues, no problem," Bourn said. "It's an honor to be named to this team, and it's an honor to come and enjoy yourself and take it all in."

Derby lead was fun while it lasted for Hart: Corey Hart had an impressive opening round in the All-Star Home Run Derby on Monday night, hitting 13 home runs to lead all hitters heading into the second round.

David Ortiz and Hanley Ramirez were tied atop the leader board with 21 home runs apiece when Hart stepped to the plate in the second round but, after sitting for a long time, he couldn't get his home run swing back.

"[Leading the first round] was pretty cool," Hart told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "It was a good experience. I got in a rhythm with the first homer. I just couldn't find a comfort level in the second round."

Chris Young leaves Derby feeling good: Chris Young had one goal when he competed in Monday's Home Run Derby -- hit at least one homer. Young accomplished that goal as he hit exactly one ball out of the park during the first round of the competition.

"All my teammates at home were basically saying I better not come back with a goose egg," Young told the The Arizona Republic. "So I got that first one, and I was feeling pretty good about it."

Swisher soaks up the Derby setting: Nick Swisher had the same goal as Chris Young in the Home Run Derby on Monday -- he wanted to hit at least one home run. In the end, Swisher finished with four.

"I didn't get blanked in the Derby," Swisher told the New York Daily News. "I put up a respectable number, so that's good. I had such a good time today. It was a great experience. I had a lot of fun out there. I was looking around. I was so fired up. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do this. I'd definitely do it again.

"I was like, man, 'Just hit one.' And after I hit one, I said, 'Just hit one more.' And after I hit four, I was done. It was a blast. I'm here for the fans. I'm having an absolute blast, and I couldn't thank everyone enough for the opportunity."

Price makes first start one to remember: David Price, 24, became the youngest starting pitcher in the All-Star Game since Dwight Gooden started in 1988 at the age of 23.

The Rays' hard-throwing left-hander threw two shutout innings, allowing only one hit while recording one strikeout, but he wants this to be just the beginning.

"My goals are set higher than this," Price told the St. Petersburg Times. "I don't want to stop with this. I want this to be the first of several starts."

Capps comes away with W after K: Capps only pitched to one batter in the All-Star Game. He came on with two outs in the sixth inning and struck out the only batter he faced. But when the NL rallied for three runs in the top of the seventh, Capps became the winning pitcher.

"I talked to [manager Charlie Manuel] and McCann when they gave me the ball, about what I wanted to do," Capps told the The Washington Post. "And I said if we got ahead, we'd throw a front-door sinker, and that's what I threw for strike three."

"It's pretty huge" to earn home-field advantage in the World Series for the NL, Capps said. "There's at least one person in this room who's going to benefit from it."

Broxton keeps reaching deeper: Jonathan Broxton closed the National League's first win in the All-Star Game since 1996 with a scoreless ninth inning to preserve a 3-1 victory.

"I gave it all I had and when I needed more, I reached down and gave it more," Broxton told the Los Angeles Times.

"I was just letting it loose," Broxton said of pitches that registered 97 mph on the radar gun. "That's why I was put in that situation."

For Pujols, the more Cardinals the merrier: With nine All-Star Game appearances in 10 seasons, Albert Pujols has some experience to draw upon.

"It's pretty special," Pujols told MLB.com. "It reminds me of when we made it in '05. We had a lot of guys, being on that flight from San Francisco all the way to Detroit. It was pretty special yesterday, and it was better because we got a win. To be able to spend time not just on the field, but off the field, playing cards and just talking baseball ... it made that three-hour and 15-minute flight real short. Before you know it, we were landing."

Rolen keeping Reds in line: Scott Rolen has been a steadying influence in the Reds' clubhouse. One specific conversation with teammate Brandon Phillips about his home run trot stands out to Phillips.

"He did," Phillips told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "I was hitting in front of him. He was like, 'Hey, BP, just so you know. If I get hit [with a pitch] because you pimped a home run, me and you are going to have to talk.' That's all I needed to know."